Eye protective device



June 30, 1953 Filed Nov. 22, 1948 p EYE PROTECTIVE DEVICE c. e; ABBOTT, 2,643,381,

3 Sheets-Sheet l JNVENTOR.

c. c. ABBOTT June 30, 1 53 v c. e; ABBo'rT 2 4 EYE PROTECTIVE DEVICE. Filed Nov. 22, 1948 s skew-sheet 2 INVENTOR. c. c- ABBOTT ATTORNEY June 30, 1953 I c. e. ABBOTT ,843,

. EYE PROTECTIVE DEVICE Filed Nov. 22, 1948 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVEN TOR. C- G- ABBOTT ATTORNEY Patented June 30, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 11 Claims.

This invention relates to'eye-protective devices and more particularly to such devices especially designed for use by drivers of motor cars for the elimination or reduction of glaring rays from headlights of oncoming vehicles. This application is a continuation in part of my co-pending application, Serial No. 767,214yfi1ed August '7, 1947, now abandoned.

Many varieties of light rays such as those from headlights, searchlights, fiood lights, and other lights of intense character are both disturbing and injurious to the eyes, tending to seriously impair proper vision.

.Numerous devices including visors, shields or various characters, special lenses, the use of polarizing materials and the like, have been employed in an attempt to provide protection against disturbing light rays. Much improvement has been made, but no entirely satisfactory solution to the problem .has been found.

The present invention contemplates a protective device which will effectively eclipse or screen such rays so as to remove all disturbing glare therefrom. Devices of this character which have been manufactured heretofore have proven unsatisfactory, in that obstruction of the field of visibility has resulted through the use thereof.

Among the objects of the present invention is the provision of a device of the character specified which will permit full and free vision, and at the same time prevent any disturbing light rays from striking directly upon the eyes of the user.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description, taken in conjunction with the drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a novel glare shield embodying the present invention, an adjusted position of the eye-shields being illustrated in dotted lines;

Fig. 2, a bottom plan view thereof;

Fig. 3, a transverse vertical sectional view taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 4, a side elevation of a slightly modified form of glare shield, constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 5, a bottom plan view of the device illustrated in Fig. 4;

Fig. 6, a transverse vertical sectional view taken on the line 66 of Fig. 4, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig-7, a side elevation of a further modified form of glare shield;

Fig. 8, a bottom plan view of the device illustrated in Fig. 7; and

Fig. 9, a front elevation thereof.

The glare shield described herein may be supported from the body of a car, by other suitable means, or from any suitable headgear. If desired, provision for such support may be incorporated in the fabrication of a hat or cap. However, as .shown in the drawing, with particular reference to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, thereof, the improved glare shield is illustrated as being supported from a simple headband II) of appropriate thickness, designed to be worn upon the head of the user. Preferably the extremities of this band are disposed in overlapping and frictional engagement, as indicated at II, so that the band is readily adjustable to fit the head of the wearer. An upstanding arm or bracket 12 is rigidly secured to the head band I0 on the left-hand side adjacent the front thereof, and a pair of spaced, parallel links I3 are pivotally connected to this bracket by any suitable means such as bolts or the like I4. The links I3 extend forwardly from the supporting bracket and are pivotally connected to a bar or the like I5 by suitable pins, rivets or bolts I6.

It will be obvious that the bar I5 is thus disposed in parallel relationship to the bracket I2, and together with the spaced links I3 provides an adjustable frame in parallelogram form, to which i secured the eye-shielding members, as will be hereinafter more fully described. Snug frictional engagement is provided at the pivotal connections of the links I3, so that they will remain in any desired adjusted position.

A yoke or the like I! is pivotally mounted upon the bar I5 adjacent the lower extremity thereof, and-suitable means is provided, such as a short spindle or the like I8, which operates through a friction joint or bearing. Rotation of the spindle is bad by the knob which forms a part thereof. The spindle I8 and yoke I! are held in any adjusted position by means of the friction bearing.

As illustrated, more particularly in Fig. 3, this yoke is of U-shape configuration with downwardly depending spaced legs I9, each of which carries an eye-protecting shield indicated at 20, of any desired size and conformation.

These shield are angularly disposed with respect to th yoke I1 and extend forwardly in a substantially horizontal plane and to the right in parallel relationship when viewed from the top. The yoke I! is positioned in front of and to the left of the center of the headband so that the right eye shield 20 presents only its narrow rear edge to the left eye of the user when the left eye is turned toward the right eye shield.

While the eye shields may each be formed from a single sheet of partly transparent plastic material, a preferable form of construction comprises an outer sheet or member of at least partially transparent material 2| provided with inturned edges 22 designed to retain a curved or bowed strip 23 of at least partially transparent material between them. The eye shields 20 are preferably forwardly tapered and are spaced apart by the yoke or bracket IT a distance substantially equal to the average distance between pupils of the eyes.

In use the head band 10 is placed upon the head and the adjustable frame is raised or lowered to properly position shields 28 vertically with respect to the line of vision. The knob I8 is then rotated to obtain a pivotal adjustment of the shield carrying yoke or bracket I! so as to direct the eye shields forward in a position to appear to the user to substantially parallel the roadway, in accordance with a normal driving posture.

The yoke ll is thus positioned in front of and to the left of the centre of the head band it (as shown in Figs. 3 and 6 of the drawings) with the depending legs [9 straddling the forward lines of vision from the left eye. At the same time and by the same adjustments of the frame and yoke above mentioned, the left eye shield is positioned with its inner end to the left of the left eye, this shield being angularly disposed with relation to the yoke I! so that in extending forwardly in a substantially horizontal plane it also inclines to the right a distance substantially equal to the width of the yoke or bracket ll, all as shown more particularly in Fig. 2. The right eye shield will then be positioned with the inner end thereof near and between the eyes and angularly disposed in a direction parallel with the left eye shield.

The advantages of this arrangement will be obvious in that both eyes will be fully protected from all excessively brilliant rays of light emanating from forward sources to the left, without at the same time impairing the visibility of the roadway or forward positions to the right.

This is illustrated in Figs. 2 and from an examination of which it will be observed that whil looking toward any forward position to the left, the angular position of the eye shields causes them to appear to overlap, efiectively preventing any light rays from passing between the shields and directly striking either eye, and that while looking toward any forward position to the right the shields appear to the user to be spaced apart permitting unobstructed visibility either between or to the right of the two shields.

To recapitulate, the angular disposition of the shields is such that all light rays emanating from sources to the left and. forwardly of the user are only visible through the partly transparent protective shields. This is disclosed moreparticularly in Fig. 2 of the drawings where L represents the pupil of the left eye and R the pupil of the right eye, and the maximum forward angle of vision of each eye as indicated by the lines Ll, L2 and RI, R2, respectively, is entirely protected by the shields. The field of vision is nowise obscured and, since the device moves in unison with the head of the wearer, the-eye shields will effectively protect against all light rays from forward sources.

In the modification of the invention illustrated in Figs. 4, 5, and 6, of the drawings, a relatively small bracket 24 is substituted for the yoke 27. A transparent base plate or sheet of plastic material 25 is secured to the bracket 24, in downwardly depending relationship, as by screws or the like 26, and angularly disposed eye-protecting shields 20 are rigidly secured thereto or, if desired, integrally formed therewith. These protecting shields are similar to those described above and require no further discussion here.

The adjustment and operation of this form of the device is identical with that described above, the only difference being that the left eye, which is the more susceptible to adverse influence from light rays emanating from sources on the left, is further protected by the vertical base plate 25. v

In the modification of the invention illustrated in Figs. '7 and 8 and 9 of the drawings, the headband and adjustable frame remain the same and a forwardly projecting and substantially horizontally disposed arm 21 is provided, the inner extremity thereof being pivotally secured to the lower extremity of the arm 15 by the spindle I8. A cross piece 28 is pivotally attached to the outer extremity of the arm 2'! in any desired manner, as by a rivet, bolt or the like 29, and angularly disposed forwardly extending and diverging ey .protecting shields 30 and 3|, formed from suitable partly transparent material, depend downwardly from this cross piece. While these eye-protecting shields may be of any desired size or conformation, a preferred embodiment has been illustrated wherein each shield has a horizontal upper edge and diminishes in height, tapering from front to rear to encompass or subtend a greater vertical angle of vision, as indicated by the dotted lines L8 and L1, projected forwardly from the pupils of the eyes. (See Fig. 7 of the drawings.) If desired, cross piece '28 and the protecting shields may be integrally formed from transparent plastic sheet material.

As will be apparent from an examination of Fig. 8 of the drawings, the angular disposition of the protecting shields is such that the left eye- .protector 20 presents only its narrow rear edge toward the right eye R when viewed in the direction of the dotted line R3. Similarly the right eye-protector 3| presents only its narrow rear edge toward the left eye L, when viewed in the direction of the dotted line L3. It will further be obvious that the maximum angle through which both eyes will receive complete protection is subtended by the dotted lines L4, L5, and R4, R5. This modification of the invention will give equal protection against light rays emanating from sources of light ahead of the user and to either the left or the right, only a slight angular movement of the head being required to encompass light rays from any intermediate direction.

It has been found in practice that vertical adjustment of the supporting bar l5 determines the strata above the roadway where maximum protection will be attained. If, for example, the light rays from which protection is desired emanate from the headlights of an approaching vehicle, a slight downward adjustment of the supporting frame will encompass headlights and roadway, while a slight upward adjustment would raise the level of screened vision to encompass the headlights and upper portion of the oncoming vehicle, leaving the wheels thereof and the roadway visible beneath the shields in normal vision. Further, the device having been adjusted for desired elevation, only a slight movement of 5, the head would be required to provide maximum protection from lights directly ahead. The utilization of spaced and parallel shields provides a structure wherein each shield functions separately to protect the corresponding eye without in any manner obscuring or interfering with the vision of the other eye, the composite result being comparable and identical to that obtained by looking through a telescope, a pair of binoculars or into a stereopticon, both shields merging to provide the visual illusion of a single protecting member.

While the devices illustrated in Figs. 1 through 6 disclose the eye-shielding members extending forwardly and from left to right, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that this angle of inclination could be reversed to accommodate conditions arising in localities Where the directional flow of traflic is on the left-hand side rather than on the right of the road. Similarly, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that the device need not be worn upon the head, but is suitable for mounting within a vehicle for convenient adjustment to accommodate the stature of the operator thereof.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made in the invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, and therefore the invention is not limited by that which is shown in the drawings and described in the specification, but only as indicated in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In an eye-protective device including a supporting member, a pair of outwardly extending at least partially transparent shields supported at their inner ends by said supporting member, said shields being angularly disposed in parallel relationship to each other, one or" said shields subtending the distance between the inner extremities of said shields, means for adjusting said shields vertically, and means for adjusting said shields about a horizontal axis.

2. In an eye-protective device including a supporting member, a transparent bracket carried by said supporting member, a pair of outwardly extending at least partially transparent shields supported at their inner ends by said bracket, said shields being angularly disposed in parallel relationship to each other, one of said shields subtending the distance between the inner extremities of said shields and means for adjusting said shields about a horizontal axis.

3. In an eye-protective device including a supporting member, a bracket carried by said supporting member, a pair of outwardly extending at least partially transparent shields supported at their inner ends by said bracket, said shields being angularly disposed in parallel relationship to each other, one of said shields subtending the distance between the inner extremities of said shields, means for adjusting the bracket vertically with respect to the supporting member, and means for adjusting said shields about a horizontal axis.

a. In an eye-protective device including a supporting member, a bracket carried by said supporting member, a pair of spaced downwardly depending legs on said bracket, an outwardly extending at least partially transparent shield supported at its inner end by each of said legs, said shields being angularly disposed in parallel relationship, one of said shields subtending the distance between the inner extremities of said shields, means for adjusting the bracket vertically wlthrespectto thesupporting membenand meansfor adjusting saidshields about a horizontal axis.

'5. In an eye-protective device including a supporting member, a pair of parallel spaced links pivotally attached to said supporting member, a bar pivotally attached to the outer extremities of said links for vertical adjustment with respect to the supporting member, a shield-carrying bracket pivotally secured to said bar, a pair of outwardly extending at least partially transparent shields .supported at their inner ends by said bracket, said shields being angularly disposed in parallel relationship to each other, one of said shields subtending the distance between the inner extremities of said shields and means for adjusting said bracket and shields about a horizontal axis.

5. Inan eye-protective device including a supporting member, a bracket carried by said sup= porting member and adapted to be positioned in front of one eye of the user, a pair of parallel at least partially transparent shields carried by said bracketin angular relationship thereto so that one of said shields subtends the distance between the inner extremities of said shields, and means for adjusting said shields about a horizontal axis and vertically in parallel relationship.

7. In an eye-protective device including a supporting member, a bracket carried by said supporting member and adapted to be positioned in front of one eye of the user, an angularly disposed at least partially transparent shield carried by said bracket adjacent one vertical edge thereof and subtending substantially the entire width of the bracket, a second angularly disposed at least partially transparent shield carried by said bracket adjacent the opposite vertical edge thereof in parallel relationship to said first-mentioned shield, and means for adjusting said shields in parallel relationship vertically about a horizontal axis.

8. In an eye-protective device including a supporting member, a bracket carried by said supporting member, a pair of spaced downwardly depending legs on said bracket, an at least partially transparent shield carried by one of said legs, said shield being angularly disposed so as to subtend the distance between the legs of the bracket, an angularly disposed at least partially transparent shield carried by the other leg of the bracket in parallel relationship to said firstmentioned shield, and means for adjusting said shields vertically and about a horizontal axis in parallel relationship.

9. In an eye-protective device including a supporting member, a pair of parallel spaced links pivotally attached to said supporting member, a bar pivotally attached to the outer extremities of said links for vertical adjustment with respect to the supporting member, a shield carrying bracket pivotally secured to said bar, an angularly disposed at least partially transparent shield carried by said bracket adjacent one vertical edge thereof and subtending substantially the entire width of the bracket, a second angularly disposed at least partially transparent shield carried by said bracket adjacent the opposite vertical edge thereof in parallel relationship to the first-mentioned shield, and means for adjusting said shields in parallel relationship vertically and about a horizontal axis.

10. An eye protector comprising a supporting member for attachment to the head of a person, a pair of outwardly extending at least partially transparent shields supported at their inner ends by said supporting member, said shields being'disposed in substantially parallel relationship to each other, the right shield being positioned on said supporting member so as to be substantially on a line extending from the left eye of the person, the left shield subtending approximately the distance between the inner ends of the pair of shields, the left shield being positioned with its inner end to the left of the left eye of the person, the right shield being so arranged that the left eye obtains a rear end view thereof when the left eye is directed toward the right shield, and means for adjusting said shields in up and down direction so that the line of vision may be substantially parallel to the plane of the shields. I

11. An eye protector comprising a supporting member for attachment to the head of a'person, a pair of outwardly extending at least partially transparent shields supported at their inner ends by said supporting member, said shields being disposed in substantially parallel relationship to each other, one shield being positioned on said support so as to be substantially on a line extending from one eye of the person, the other CURZON G. ABBOTT.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,638,939 Koenigkramer Aug. 16, 1927 1,768,597 Gwathmey, Jr July 1, 1930 1,960,450 Moore May 29, 1934 2,076,446 Carwardie Apr. 6, 1937 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 296,346 Great Britain Oct. 24, 1929 

